


There Will Be A Day That You Will Understand

by revenblue



Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Ferb finds out about Perry, Fluff, Gen, POV Second Person, Perry gets a well-deserved hug, Phineas makes some cameos, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23683795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revenblue/pseuds/revenblue
Summary: Ferb always has been the most observant one in the family.
Relationships: Ferb Fletcher & Candace Flynn, Ferb Fletcher & Perry the Platypus
Comments: 22
Kudos: 197





	There Will Be A Day That You Will Understand

After the day's excitement, you take a cup of tea up to your sister's room and knock. Ducky Momo graces the side of the mug. It might help, you'd thought, to reassure her that not everyone thinks she's "lame" for loving something so wholeheartedly.

She stomps to the door, wrenching it open with a glare. One that softens as she notices the dopey yellow face.

"Zebra?" you ask simply, offering the cup.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighs. "Come on in, I'll tell you _all_ about it."

And she does, directing you into a chair while she sits on her bed, sipping at the tea you'd brought her. It's a little unusual, seeing a zebra that calls her Kevin, but...

"I believe you," you say, because you do. She's your sister, and you know she doesn't just make things up.

"You do?" Her voice is small, hesitant, like she wasn't expecting this. Which is ridiculous, she's your _sister_. The best sister you could ever have. She's always been there for _you_ , why _wouldn't_ you support her?

So you nod, explaining that she's not the only one who's seen weird things this summer. You tell her about the secret agent base you'd found earlier this summer, under the house, and the hidden tunnel in the tree in the backyard. The one you absolutely did _not_ build yourself, no matter what Phineas says.

"You're sure Phineas didn't build it," she clarifies when you're done, voice flat, and you shrug. She knows Phineas as well as you do, does she really think he could keep a secret that huge? "Okay, I'll buy it. Phineas had nothing to do with it. But then who's 'Agent P'? _Perry_?" She laughs like the idea's ridiculous, but you purse your lips in thought. "I know I've seen him in a _fedora_ but that was just a hallucination, right? Like the zebra. I'm going crazy and the only one who knows is my little brother..."

"I think you have a better grasp on reality than you realise," you say, patting her hand and standing. Phineas has probably noticed your absence by now.

Sniffling, she smiles at you. "Thanks, Ferb."

Perry waits outside the door for you, with that faux innocence he gets when you catch him somewhere he shouldn't be, like on the table, or headfirst in his platypus food. Probably just got into something while no one was looking, you decide.

But, just in case, you bend down to scratch under his chin. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about an underground lair under the house, would you?" you say casually, and he freezes up for a moment, before leaning into your fingers in a way that has to be deliberate. _Interesting_. "No, of course not. You're just a platypus."

* * *

There's a folded piece of paper under your pillow that night. A pamphlet, and you pull it out, switching on your lamp to read it.

Perry, tucked against your leg, chirrs sleepily and squints at you. Across the room, Phineas, already fast asleep, rolls over, away from the light.

_So you've just found out your pet is a secret agent._

Everything's falling into place now. Candace was right all along.

You unfold the pamphlet, seeing a section circled in thick black marker, with _SORRY_ scrawled next to it. Frowning, you read.

* * *

So. Perry's a secret agent. And he's never told you because he'd be reassigned, something you have to assume he doesn't want. You can't blame him. The thought of losing him hurts, because he's family. You hope he knows that.

Reaching for a scrap of blueprint and a pencil, you tear off a corner and scribble a single word onto it, tucking it under his collar.

_Understood._

* * *

Nothing out of the ordinary happens in the next few days, at least where Perry's concerned. You keep an eye on him, but only his ordinary wanderings happen. If you didn't know, you wouldn't suspect a thing, and you're sure Phineas has never thought about it.

Then, one morning, while your brother's explaining today's Big Idea for the benefit of any bystanders, a cold bill touches your leg and Perry chirrs, before walking over to the side of the house. Does he want you to follow him? He turns back, more steely-eyed than usual, and that's answer enough.

You glance over at Phineas, shrug, and follow your pet platypus. Chances are, your brother won't even notice you're gone.

Rounding the corner, you find Perry standing up on his hind legs, back straight, a fedora on his head. Candace was right about that part too. "This is where you go every day?" you ask, keeping your voice down in case anyone's listening, and he nods. That answers that question. "Can you talk?"

The corner of his bill twists down and he shakes his head, a very human expression. But no human voice. Spoken conversation is out of the question then, which is fine, you're fluent in silence.

But if he can't even share his silence with you, then...

"It must be hard," you say, "having to hide all the time." Pretending to be a platypus who doesn't do much, day in, day out, for years. Most of his life. "Is there anything I can do?"

He lurches forward to wrap his arms around you in a tight hug, face pressed into your shoulder, shaking. That's your answer.

So of course you hug him back. He's family. Not genetically, but neither is Phineas or Candace, and they're still your siblings. And Perry's still an important part of the family.

Then, as suddenly as he'd started, he pulls back, wiping his eyes.

You point back out at Phineas in invitation and he shakes his head. Wherever it is he disappears to, whatever _secret agent_ mission he has, he can't just _not go_.

Maybe you can ask him about it later. Be the friend he so obviously needs.

For now, you wave, getting a salute in response, and turn away so he can do whatever it is he does when he disappears. He'll be back later.

You won't tell Phineas. Even if he listened, he couldn't hide the knowledge well, that much you're sure of. And, well, there's a reason Perry never told you. You hope this, your silence, will be enough for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from [Sorry For Now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylj0Xiiw1pM) by Linkin Park, at long last. I've been associating that song with Perry's secret identity and relationship with the boys since oh around the time I first heard it. (Look at the upload date on the video and you have a good ballpark.) It just took until this year to come up with any ideas to actually fic it... so of course this was the second of such XD The first is as yet unedited.
> 
> I'd also like to thank Thinker109 and abbean for their help/nitpicking/concrit ♥
> 
> Edit: I haven't had this much attention so quickly since I wrote Homestuck Epilogue fixfic. Y'all desperate for that platonic family fluff, huh? :P  
> Tell me, is it the Ferb&Candace fluff, the Ferb&Perry fluff, or because it's Ferb-centric fic at all?


End file.
